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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">EGUsphere</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>EGUsphere</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/egusphere-2026-5828</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>A robust empirical model for deriving depth-integrated N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; fixation rates from surface measurements in the global open ocean</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Chen</surname>
<given-names>Wei-Li</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5839-6580</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Shao</surname>
<given-names>Zhibo</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Xu</surname>
<given-names>Yangchun</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4597-4338</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Luo</surname>
<given-names>Ya-Wei</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6106-7901</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen,  361102, China</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>Fujian Ocean Innovation Center, Xiamen 361102, China</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<label>4</label>
<addr-line>China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, 43900 Sepang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>07</day>
<month>10</month>
<year>2026</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>2026</volume>
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>39</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2026 Wei-Li Chen et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5828/">This article is available from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5828/</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5828/egusphere-2026-5828.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5828/egusphere-2026-5828.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>Marine dinitrogen (N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) fixation (NF) is a critical nitrogen source supporting ocean productivity, yet its global quantification remains challenging because vertically resolved measurements are logistically demanding. To address this, we developed an empirical model to predict depth-integrated NF (INF, &amp;mu;mol N m&lt;sup&gt;&amp;minus;2 &lt;/sup&gt;d&lt;sup&gt;&amp;minus;1&lt;/sup&gt;) within the euphotic zone directly from surface NF (SNF, &amp;mu;mol N m&lt;sup&gt;&amp;minus;3 &lt;/sup&gt;d&lt;sup&gt;&amp;minus;1&lt;/sup&gt;) measurements. Using 690 measured NF profiles from the global open ocean, we established a robust relationship: log&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;INF = 1.85 + 0.84 &amp;times; log&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;SNF (&lt;em&gt;R&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.82, RMSE = 0.31). The model performed well globally, particularly for typical profiles in which NF decreased monotonically with depth. It tended to underestimate log&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;INF for profiles with substantial subsurface NF maxima, especially in the subtropical South Pacific (bias = &amp;minus;0.20), where such maxima were likely sustained by deeper iron supply, and in the northwestern Pacific (bias = &amp;minus;0.33), where the maxima were likely driven by photoinhibition of surface unicellular diazotrophs. Overestimation of log&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;INF occurred in the eastern Atlantic (bias = +0.24), likely reflecting steep depth declines in NF driven by rapid decreases in light and iron availability. A small subset of profiles had uniformly low NF rates throughout the euphotic zone, associated with low iron and/or phosphorus concentrations. When applied to historical surface measurements lacking corresponding INF observations, model-derived INF estimates were statistically consistent with available INF measurements, supporting its preliminary application. Our model enables more efficient global surveys of N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; fixation, thereby improving our ability to map this critical process and refine understanding of ocean nutrient cycles.</p>
</abstract>
<counts><page-count count="39"/></counts>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="gs1">
<funding-source>National Natural Science Foundation of China</funding-source>
<award-id>42376140</award-id>
<award-id>42076153</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
</article-meta>
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